Sleeve for covering knot of swimsuit strings

ABSTRACT

A cushioned device wrapped around the knot, bow and free ends of a woman&#39;s swimsuit strings (e.g., on a bikini) to eliminate pain and discomfort by preventing the knot from digging into the wearer&#39;s skin. The device is defined by a square or rectangular main body having a first side, an opposite second side, a top edge and a bottom edge. The main body includes a core formed of a foam material or other cushioning material, and an outer cover completely enclosing the core and formed of an elastic synthetic fiber, such as spandex material. The device is rolled into a sleeve around the knot, bow and string ends and is secured in place by cooperating hook and loop fasteners on the opposing sides of the main body.

This Non-Provisional patent application is based on Provisional Patent Application No. 62/201,639 filed on Aug. 6, 2015.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a comfort accessory device for a woman's swimsuit and, more particularly, to a cushioned device that wraps around the knot, bow and free ends of swimsuit strings on a woman's swimsuit to eliminate hanging or dangling string ends and to eliminate pain and discomfort caused by the knot digging into the wearer's skin.

Discussion of the Related Art

Women's swimsuits, and particularly bikini swimsuits, usually have cooperating string segments that tie together to secure and adjustably fit the swimsuit on the wearer's body. In most instances, the wearer will tie a knot with a bow leaving two free ends of the strings hanging from the bow on the wearer's back (i.e., on a swimsuit top) or hips (i.e., on a bikini swimsuit bottom). Over of course of several hours, the knot of a woman's swimsuit strings can become uncomfortable as the knot tends to dig into the wearer's skin. Furthermore, the knot of the tied swimsuit strings can become undone if the knot or loose string ends catch on an object or are otherwise pulled or loosened, possibly causing the swimsuit top or bottom to fall or separate from the wearer's body. Moreover, the loose string ends and bow of the tied swimsuit strings will cast a shadow on the wearer's skin which can create undesirable tanning lines on the wearer. Lastly, women with long hair can have their hair become painfully entangled in the knot tied behind their neck or upper back. These problems are further exacerbated by the need to repeatedly untie and retie the knot and bow to adjust the position of the swimsuit top and/or bottom on the wearer's body due to the strings and knot becoming loosened over time.

Accordingly, there is a need for a swimsuit accessory device for attachment to the strings of a woman's swimsuit to overcome the problems noted above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a cushioned accessory device that wraps around the knot, bow and free ends of women's swimsuit strings (e.g., on a bikini) to eliminate pain and discomfort caused by the knot digging into the wearer's skin while wearing the swimsuit. The accessory device of the present invention also eliminates hanging or dangling loose ends of the swimsuit strings and bow loops, thereby avoiding undesirable tanning lines. The accessory device is defined by a square or rectangular main body having a first side, an opposite second side, a top edge and a bottom edge. The main body includes an interior core formed of a foam material or other cushioning material, and an outer cover or jacket that is formed of an elastic synthetic fiber, such as spandex material. The opposite sides of the main body are provided with cooperating hook and loop fasteners. Specifically, a first component of a hook and loop fastener is attached to the exterior surface of the first side of the main body and a cooperating second component of a hook and loop fastener is attached to the exterior surface of the opposing second side of the main body. In use, the accessory device is wrapped around the tied knot and bow of the swimsuit strings, forming a rolled sleeve that completely covers and conceals the knot, bow and free string ends. Once fully wrapped around the tied knot and bow, the accessory device is secured in the rolled sleeve arrangement by the cooperating components of the hook and loop fasteners on the opposing sides of the main body.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

Considering the forgoing, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an accessory device for a woman's swimsuit, and more particularly, to a cushioned device that wraps around the tied knot, bow and free ends of swimsuit strings on a woman's swimsuit (e.g., on a bikini) to eliminate pain and discomfort caused by the knot digging into the wearer's skin, such as on the back, the neck and hips.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a cushioned accessory device for attachment over the tied knot, bow and free ends of swimsuit strings on a woman's swimsuit to eliminate hanging or dangling string ends and bow loops of the tied knot, thereby preventing undesirable tanning lines on the wearer's skin.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a cushioned accessory device for attachment over the tied knot, bow and free ends of swimsuit strings on a woman's swimsuit (e.g., a bikini) that eliminates the need to constantly retie the strings to adjust the comfort level and fit of the swimsuit on the wearer.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a cushioned accessory device for attachment over the tied knot, bow and free ends of swimsuit strings on a woman's swimsuit that prevents the wearer's hair from becoming entangled in the knot or bow loops.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an accessory device that wraps around the tied knot, bow and free ends of swimsuit strings of a woman's swimsuit, and wherein the cushioned accessory device forms a sleeve having multiple layers to thereby provide increased cushioning and comfort against the wearer's skin on the back, behind the neck of the wearer and/or on the hips (i.e., with a bikini bottom).

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a cushioned accessory device that wraps around the tied knot, bow and free ends of swimsuit strings on a woman's swimsuit, and wherein the cushioned accessory device is easy to attach to the swimsuit strings and easy to remove when it is desired to untie the strings.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a cushioned accessory device that wraps around the tied knot, bow and free ends of swimsuit strings on a woman's swimsuit, and wherein cushioned accessory device is relatively inexpensive, easy to manufacture and adapted to be made in various colors and styles to match or complement a wide variety of swimsuit fabric patterns and colors.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are more readily apparent with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first side of the swimsuit accessory device of the present invention, in accordance with a preferred and practical embodiment thereof;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the opposite second side of the swimsuit accessory device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sequence of perspective views, including a close-up perspective view, showing the swimsuit accessory device of the present invention being wrapped around the tied knot and bow of swimsuit strings on a woman's swimsuit;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the final step of wrapping and securing the accessory device around the tied knot and bow of the swimsuit strings and forming a rolled sleeve that is secured by cooperating components of hook and loop fasteners on the accessory device; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, with an isolated close-up view, showing the swimsuit accessory device of the present invention properly fitted and wrapped around the tied knot, bow and loose string ends on a woman's swimsuit top, and with the accessory device comfortably engaging the back of the wearer at the junction of the wearer's back and neck.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the several views of the drawings, the swimsuit accessory device of the present invention is shown in accordance with a preferred and practical embodiment and is generally indicated as 10.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the swimsuit accessory device 10 is defined by a square or rectangular main body 12 having a first side 14 and an opposite second side 16. In the embodiment shown throughout the drawings, the main body 12 is rectangular in shape and is constructed to be normally a planar configuration having a first end 20, an opposite second end 22, along with the first side 14 and the opposite second side 16.

The illustrative embodiment of the present invention further comprises a releasable connector that allows one end portion of the planar main body 12 to be secured to an opposing surface of the main body. In particular, one preferred embodiment of the present invention provides the connector comprising a hook and loop fastener having a first component of a hook and loop fastener 30 on the first side 14 and a second component of a hook and loop fastener 32 on the opposing second side 16 of the main body 12. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, the first component of the hook and loop fastener 30 on the exterior surface of the first side 14 is positioned near the center of the main body. More particularly, the distance between the first component of the hook and loop fastener 30 and the second component of the hook and loop fastener 32 (as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2) is substantially equal to the distance between the first component of hook and loop fastener 30 and the first end 20; however no claim is made as to the precise relative positions of the mating components of the hook and loop fastener.

In a preferred embodiment, the main body 12 is constructed of soft and cushioning materials and preferably includes an interior core formed of a foam material or other cushioning material and an exterior cover or jacket formed of an elastic synthetic fiber, such as spandex material.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-4, there are shown various views of an embodiment of the present invention being secured in place over tied swimsuit strings. The first step in securing the depicted embodiment of the present invention in place is to wrap the upper portion of the main body between the first component of hook and loop fastener 30 and the first end 20 around the tied knot 102 and bow loops 104. More specifically, the main body 12 is positioned between the tied knot 102 and the user's skin with the first end 20 positioned slightly above the tied knot 102 and the knot 102 engaging the second side 16 of the main body. Next, the first edge 20 is folded down over the knot 102 and the bow loops 104, as well as the free ends of the swimsuit string that hang from the tied knot so that the bow loops 104, knot 102 and free ends of the swimsuit strings 100 are tucked between the overlapping layers of the rolled configuration of the main body, as seen in FIG. 3. Next, the second edge 22 is pulled up and over the rolled configuration and the swimsuit strings and knot 102 and is continually wrapped around the rolled configuration until the mating first and second components 30, 32 of the hook and loop fastener are disposed in mating engagement, as shown in FIG. 4, to secure the device 10 around the knot 102 and bow loops 104. The swimsuit accessory device 10 thereby provides a sleeve for covering the knot and bow that has multiple layers of cushioned material wrapped around the swimsuit string knot 102, bow loops 104 and free ends of the swimsuit strings 100.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in use. In particular, the swimsuit accessory device 10 provides multiple benefits. First, the swimsuit accessory device 10 covers the knot 102 of the swimsuit strings 100 with layers of cushioned material, preventing the knot 102 from uncomfortably resting against the skin of the wearer. Second, by covering the swimsuit knot 102 and the bow loops 104, the device 10 prevents the wearer's hair from becoming entangled within the knot 102 and/or bow loops 104. Third, the device 10 prevents the swimsuit strings 100 from becoming untied by keeping the two string segments tightly pressed together at the area of the tied knot. In a further embodiment of the invention, at least the one side 16 of the device 10 may be provided with ridges, bumps or another texture on the exterior surface for gripping the swimsuit strings and retaining the knot 102.

While the present invention has been shown and described in accordance with a preferred and practical embodiment thereof, it is recognized that departures from the instant disclosure are fully contemplated within the spirit and scope of the present invention which is not to be limited except as defined in the following claims and as determined under the Doctrine of Equivalence. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A swimsuit accessory device comprising: a cushioned main body having a first side, an opposite second side, a first edge and an opposite second edge; a first component of a releasable connector on the first side of the main body and a cooperating second component of a releasable connector on the opposing second side of the main body; and the device being structured and disposed to be rolled into a sleeve and secured around a knot tied in string segments of a swimsuit to provide a cushion between the knot and the user's skin.
 2. The swimsuit accessory device as recited in claim 1 wherein the first component of the connector is positioned halfway between the first edge and the second component of the releasable connector.
 3. The swimsuit accessory device as recited in claim 1 wherein the first component of the releasable connector is a first component of a hook and loop fastener and the second component of the releasable connector is a second component of a hook and loop fastener.
 4. The swimsuit accessory device as recited in claim 1 wherein the main body includes an exterior surface material formed of an elastic synthetic fiber.
 5. The swimsuit accessory device as recited in claim 4 wherein the elastic synthetic fiber is spandex material. 